Wednesday, November 22, 2006

For god's sakes, if you aren't participating already, get your horny on and contribute to the collaborative Oilers slash fiction that spontaneously erupted in the previous post's comments section. Georges Laraque, MAB, electric pancake griddles , Canadian Tire ... it's all there, and it's all unsettling. But rad. Makes me wonder if we should do a more formal version of this in the near future. Also of note:

• OILERS WIN! OILERS WIN! Four games in a row, dinkwallets. Roloson is playing the hockey of his life right now. Hopefully he starts inspiring the rest of the team to do the same. Smyth and Sykora excepted, of course.

• I'm sure we all saw it yesterday, but for posterity's sake, it's worth noting that the Oilers secured Steve Staios for the next four years with a padlock made of exactly 10.8-million American dollars (or as Joanne Ireland puts it, the Oilers gave him 10 million thanks. Can you give someone one thank?) Anyhow, Staios will be overpaid at $2.9 for the next two years, and $2.8 in the third, then just adequately paid at $2.2 in the latter half. Ryan Smyth, meanwhile, who is tied for second in league scoring with 15 goals and is the living embodiment of Oilers spirit, remains unsigned beyond this season. Are the two sides really that far apart on a deal, or does Smyth actually want out? I'm nervous.

• The Bruins have such a low opinion of Brad Stuart that apparently they're now bussing him around just to be jerks, yesterday sending him back down to Providence in the AHL just h0urs after calling him up. Since joining Boston, Stuart seems to have spent a lot more time in the A than one would expect for a defenceman who once scored nine goals and 39 points in the big leagues, and it's become pretty obvious that he just doesn't fit into their plans. One wonders just how little the Oilers would have to dangle to pick him up at this point. Think they'd go for Winchester straight up? UPDATE: no wonder this didn't make much sense as I was typing it up — Yahoo apparently has Brad confused with fellow Bruin Mark Stuart. Thanks to Pat for setting me straight! Regardless, my point remains: Brad would make a fine Oiler.

Brad Stuart would definitely have to go through waivers in order to play in the AHL — and he'd never make it. It's too bad Yahoo! screwed that up as I saw a few guys in leagues I'm in drop the wrong Stuart.